Double cylinder circular knitting machine



June 2, 1953 B. CHARVAT 2,640,333

DOUBLE CYLINDER CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE PROVIDED WITH A NOISELESS COUPLING Filed March 1, 194:9v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BM 04M Mew WM ATTORNEYS June 2, 1953 B. CHARVAT 2,640,338 DOUBLE CYLINDER CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE PROVIDED WITH A NOISELESS COUPLING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 1, 1949 INVENTOR BY W $62144.

ATTORNEYS Patented June 2, 1953 ti iq lnxekia iet weldm'l A ic i n ilmht ie1 m- 8$ In Czechoslovakia Mairoh 18319318 =.The present invention relates to av lnoiseless coupling for circular knitting machines, more particularly forv circular knitting machines. having super-posed neeclletcylinclers. the couplingvbeing arranged on a counter-shaft. rotatable in one directionor in both directions, inlsuoh a, Way thatnduring the .pei'iodtof normal knitting'an efficient connection is provided between the countar-shaft and .the main draw-oficdevice While during theperiod of to-andefro. knitting the .efficient connection is interrupted.

:Douole cylinder-circulam-knitting machines, and in man ...,casesalso. single cylinder circularknitting machines, ..are provided with a discharge drum for the knitted tubular stocking product and-:heel pockets. The discharge drums are coupled by means of gear wheels .Withthe counter-- shaft for relative circular motion, this circular motion beingsynchronised Withthat of the, knittingcylinders, so thatthe knitteclpi'ocluct is i not displaced angularlybutmoves from the clraw ofi positionundergravity and comes to restson-ithe bottom oflthe discharge drum.

- However, .this positive motion may be applied onlyito cizcular knitting, g. when knitting tubular or like products.

If stockings with heelpockets areto be manufactured on machines of this type, sot-hat alternatingly a liieoipisocating movement of the knitting cylinders'is requiredgit islnot convenient f 0 th dischar e; drum wi h. its. own; weight tha th :knitted product; to pen-take oft-su h move en r estin -nte upt s h oto s. mo i h re u t; olischc s d um b hu ilfctifin a Var u erram mcn s b c -n desi nedi-n th ,Y p is hi h r-fle itcb zt rqwn te imrte -t sce e e cl ricone t rom the eontroliclrum. ,Amongst-, the typ. h, plingshitherto used,;the. dog -clute-hes mor ticularly, proo uce ct noisy shocklgy hen I lar movement of the charge. drum gm T1 the produc tin the salme isinitiated. each tinies -heel pocket heis ,lc,ee n completed.

v o l e ha been e igne QmPri i tw rotating members of which pne is Of- Cylili(; 1l: 'ica;1 thc Thi c l nd ca m mlc nwhich is-sp fir yiclecl with a helical groove arounclits periphery n i ieye .9 1 t P l ".-,h@ t-Q 7OD with the other member, i. e. a gearfwheel, in Wh h-e s udensc ingin the. bel ce s ieo e of the cylin zi iceln ember islsp e rengegl,thetqnrne h qseillet :y

01. scents-l some t me-. a al tmnslationu Enema-n i aiclvanteee oft-a coupl ng-10f; eit pein t-inferred to consists int at on wof its-members.- has-t0 per-i rm a nsaxicl attansleti mWhiQhimp ses v unfzivoure lesstresses onithe coupling stud ensalged in theahelicel groove, on. the guide groove, itself and ot the, countereshaft as Well.

th r ,-,couplin ;hasib .ensdcsi ned on i c Iof,ttw n tatins memb r's havin -their c0nte t -ng faces-proviq "'th ooves of-..Which on xtends inte ial dlrec ionya tl the ot er has a spiral configuration, so that in anyposition the wo emovcs, moss eac oth r. :The I twosgroo serv as re n de ey 'rfo v tslid ns zblo w ich tran m t t enti om onem mber o t other; "The zzdi nt ec. f: his Besides-l in t e ne essity otm -n a tw -mrt 1 eresh fitma nd din r lo k "mova l -in the oo e so the -thes esof helercovee h fwt ie bio swe l i ubieet' w -F :t r h .ee d s snm cqmp We and ubsten ni, 11 i cn-lt s z n -el cee e zith d iv esshe d coiled-abou h en ie emen be n -w u n mi rot r m ti n f o h ft -fl 'eim edc n inu us t0 bcrm elmltertetel iinco ed nd ew up withou ansn i-tting-thexi -Went suchrtimes omplet &- F-nsthe r advantages end featuives of ,theinvenones; ro he-l o w nede ail d en regg in conjunction with-theacrten ement I Figure 4 shows diagrammatically the arrangement of the counter-shaft relatively to the knit ting cylinders and to the product discharge drum.

One end of the counter-shaft i (Figures 1 and 2) is formed with a key slot 2 in which a key 4 may slide under the pressure of a spring 3 arranged in the axis of the shaft I. The nose 5 of the slid-able key 4 engages in a slot 6 provided in the boss of a disc 7 which is mounted for free rotation on the counter-shaft I. eccentrically arranged stud 8 projects from'the disc 1 and engages in an arc-uate groove 9 (Figure 1) provided in an intermediate disc I I! which alsois mounted for free rotation on the counter-shaft I. The end of another eccentrically arranged stud II projects from the disc III and engages in an arcuate groove I2 formed in a disc I 3. The

latter is also mounted for free rotation on the counter-shaft I and the end of an eccentrically arranged stud I4 projects from the disc I3 and engages in an arcuate groove I5 formed in a combined disc and gear wheel I6 which is mounted for free rotation on the counter-shaft I. All the arcuate grooves are interrupted in a portion of their length, as illustrated in Figure 1. The unit formed by the discs transmits the motion of the gear wheel I6 to a gear wheel I! which has the double of the number of teeth of the gear Wheel I6 and is fastened by means of screws to the product discharge drum I8 so as to rotate the latter together with the knitted product (Figure 4). The device so far described operates as follows: During the period of circular knitting the shaft I, which is driven by the main shaft 20 over a bevel gearing 21, 22 and a spur gear transmission 23, 24, rotates permanently in one direction and through the gear wheel transmission 25, 26 imparts synchronous rotary motion to the upper and lower cylinders 21 and 28 in clockwise direc tion. The key 4 is urged in axial direction by the spring 3 in such a way that its nose 5 engages in the slot 6 provided in the boss of the disc I. The connection thus established causes the disc I to be driven, and through the intermediary of the studs 8, II and I4 which bear against the ends 9a, In and I5a, respectively, of the corresponding arcuate grooves 9, I2 and I5, the discs I and I3 and the combined disc and gear wheel I 6 are also rotated in the same direction.

During the period of knitting the heel pockets, when the knitting cylinders 21 and 28 and the counter-shaft I perform an oscillatory movement, the coupling shall not transmit this movement to the gear wheels I and I1 and to the discharge drum I8. Upon reversal of the direction of rotation of the shaft I (in counter-clockwise direction), the disc 7 rotates with the shaft I, being coupled with the latter by the nose 5 of the key 4 and the slot 6. The stud 8 of the disc 1 leaves the end So of the groove 9 in the disc I0 and moves along this groove to its other end 912, until contact is established between the stud and the groove end 91). In this moment the disc I0 is caused to rotate and its stud II which moves freely along the groove I2 of the disc I3 will reach the other end I2b of the groove and rest against this last mentioned end. Thereby also the disc I3 will be caused to rotate; the's-tud IA of the disc I3 will move freely along the groove I5 in the gear wheel I6 towards the other end I51) of the groove, but without reaching this end. However, the gear wheel I6 cannot rotate, its rotation being prevented by its cooperating gear wheel I1 which is loaded by the weight of the The end of an '4 drum I8 and of the knitted product in the latter. The sum of the arcuate lengths of all the arcuate grooves 9, I2 and I5 is greater than the circumferential path of the knitting cylinders for a complete rotation. Upon the next reversal of the rotation of the shaft I to clockwise direction the just described process is repeated in the reverse sequence. Therefore, during the period of knitting the heels and toes of stockings, this operation takes place at each reversal of the movement to clockwise and counter-clockwise direction.

A hand operated disengaging device is provided to permit a temporary release of the rigid connection between the counter-shaft I and the discharge drum I 8, or a disengagement of the noiseless cou-pling in accordance with the invention when required, e. g. in the case of damage of the machine, repair, exchange of parts etc.

The counter-shaft I has provided it its end portion an axial cylindrical bore to receive a screwed-in member 29 which again is provided with a bore through which passes a screw 30 adapted to be screwed into the key 4, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The nose 5 of the key -4 is forced by the spring 3 into the slot 6 of the disc I whereby also the screw 30 is pulled inwards, the head of the latter pressing against a washer 3I in which pins 32 are secured by a pressing operation or otherwise, the pins 32 engaging in blind holes 33 provided in the member 29. The connection thus established between the countershaft I and the noiseless coupling in accordance with the present invention may be released by exerting an outward pull on the washer 3I by hand and turning it in such a way that the pins 32 of the same are disengaged from the holes 33 in the member 29. The axial displacement thus taking place causes the screw 30, and the key 4 rigidly connected to the latter, to be pulled out. Thereby the nose 5 of the key 4 is withdrawn from the slot 6 in the boss of the disc I, so that then the counter-shaft I rotates alone since the discs I, I0 and I3 and the gear wheel I6, as well, are mounted for free rotation on the countershaft. The described device preferably is housed in a casing 34 which serves at the same time as a bearing for the gear wheel 11.

What I claim is:

In a double cylinder circular knitting machine including in combination driving means adapted to drive the knitting cylinders continuously in one direction during normal rotary knitting and in alternate rotary directions of limited extent during other periods, a countershaft geared to rotate in unison with said knitting cylinders in all directions of rotary motion thereof, fabric draw-oh. mechanism for said knitting cylinders and a driving coupling between said countershaft and said draw-off mechanism, the improved construction wherein said driving coupling between said counter-shaft and said draw-ofi mechanism comprises a series of adjacent coupling discs each of which excepting the first is freely rotatable on said counter-shaft, each of said discs excepting the last of the series having an eccentrically positioned pin projecting from one face thereof and each of said discs excepting the first of the series having an arcuate groove in its opp site face concentric with the axis thereof, each of said grooves seating the pin of the disc adjacent thereto, means for keying the first disc of the series to said counter-shaft and means for driving the draw-off mechanism from the last disc of the series, the sum of the circumferential lengths of the arcuate grooves in said coupling 5 discs being greater than the angle of rotary References Cited in the file of this patent motion of said knitting cylinders as imparted to UNITED STATES PATENTS said counter-shaft during the periods of alternate rotary motion of said knitting cylinders, whereby Number Name Date to drive said draw-oil mechanism continuously 306,964 sexauer 1926 in unison with said knit-ting cylinders during 1,627,964 Galloway May 1927 normal rotary knitting periods and to completely 2:329153 Bromley et Sept 1943 interrupt the drive thereto during the periods of FOREIGN PATENTS alternate rotary motion of said knitting cylinders. Number Country Date BOHUMIL CHARVAT. 10 494,014 Great Britain Oct. 19, 1938 

